Vapor Blocking Valve Mounting Bracket With Reorientable Clip
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing mounting systems for vapor blocking valves in onboard refueling vapor recovery systems require redesign and repositioning during vehicle development, leading to increased development time and costs due to fixed orientations and configurations that cannot accommodate changes in vehicle design without significant modifications.
Innovation Solution
A two-piece mounting system comprising a base member with lock and alignment pins and a clip member with bendable wings and a toothed aperture, allowing the vapor blocking valve to be reoriented without altering the mounting bracket or vehicle frame, enabling flexible and reusable mounting configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fixed mounting bracket with fixed mounting holes is used for the vapor blocking valve, then the valve is securely mounted in a specific orientation, but any design changes requiring re-orientation of the valve require complete redesign of the mounting system
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is divided into two separate components: a base member that attaches to the vehicle frame and a clip member that secures the vapor blocking valve. This segmentation allows the clip member to be adjusted and re-oriented independently of the base member, enabling flexible re-orientation of the valve without changing the mounting bracket or vehicle frame attachment points.
Solution Approach 2:
The clip member incorporates bendable wings that can be flexed to allow rotation and re-orientation of the vapor blocking valve. The wings can be bent to the release position to enable adjustment, then returned to the rest position to lock the valve in the desired orientation. This dynamic capability provides adaptability while maintaining secure mounting.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the mounting bracket and mounting holes are redesigned to accommodate new VBV orientation, then the valve can be positioned correctly for new vehicle design, but development time and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the mounting system into a base member and a clip member, the design allows the clip member to be modified independently to accommodate new valve orientations. The base member remains unchanged and continues to attach to the same vehicle frame holes, eliminating the need for complete redesign and reducing development time.
Solution Approach 2:
The base member serves as a universal attachment component that can work with multiple different clip member configurations. The same base member with fixed mounting holes can accommodate various orientations of the vapor blocking valve by simply changing the clip member, providing multi-functionality and reducing development costs.
3Ease of manufacture
If a fixed mounting system is used, then manufacturing and assembly are simplified, but flexibility to accommodate design changes is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is segmented into a base member and a clip member, allowing the base member to be manufactured once with fixed mounting holes for ease of production. The clip member can then be independently manufactured with different configurations to accommodate design changes, combining manufacturing simplicity with design flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The clip member includes bendable wings that provide dynamic adjustment capability during assembly. This allows the system to maintain ease of manufacture with standardized components while enabling flexible accommodation of design changes through simple bending and re-orientation operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A vapor blocking valve for a fuel vapor recovery system is mounted with a two-piece bracket having a base member and a clip member. The base member fixedly mounts on a vehicle structure. At least two bendable wings extend from the base member which are bendable toward one another to a release position. The clip member has an aperture receiving the wings and a clamp receiving the vapor blocking valve. The wings and aperture have a matching profile for selectably locking the clip member at one of a plurality of rotational orientations when the wings are at the rest position. The clip member is movable between rotational orientations with the wings bent to the release position. Consequently, re-orientation of the vapor blocking valve can be accommodated without any changes to the mounting bracket or the structural component to which the bracket attaches.